Cutting boards are well known kitchen aids used to provide a solid surface for food preparation while protecting the underlying countertop, table, or the like from damage. The board absorbs the impact and shearing of the knife or other utensil being used without allowing the utensil to contact the underlying surface.
Conventionally, such boards have been made of wood or stone such as granite. While such materials provide a hardness level desirable in terms of cut resistance and rigidity, they are also sufficiently porous to allow for liquid or other matter to seep therein. Over time and repeated usage, such absorption can lead to discoloration or contamination in terms of bacteria or mold growth. Even with regular washings, the board, once used, may be less than sterile.
More recently, boards made of hard plastics, such as polypropylene or the like, have been employed. Such materials do provide a less porous and more easily sterilizable surface, but often offer less cut resistance and thus can quickly become marred or otherwise defaced. In addition, to certain consumers such materials are less aesthetically appealing than wood or stone, a particularly important criteria when purchasing a relatively low cost item.
In still further forms, cutting boards have begun to be provided in a completely disposable fashion. More specifically, the boards are designed to be used once and discarded. In order to make such a board, cost must be kept sufficiently low so as to allow the user to feel comfortable in throwing the item away after each use. At the same time, the board must be made of a material providing high cut resistance. Since the board is designed to be disposable, fluid imperviousness is not necessarily of concern, but fluid absorption, for purposes of ease of cleaning, may be desirable.